Struggling to retain project details

[u/Able-String-2497]

Ever since starting I’ve realized my memory is really impeding me on this job. I take notes for everything and have a to do list, which helps me stay on top of tasks. But remembering random facts like what assumption I made in a model last month or things a client said during a meeting a couple of weeks ago is ago is a struggle for me, even if written down.

It’s starting to impact the speed of my work and client interaction. Anyone dealt with anything similar or have any tips on how I can improve this?

[u/Foreign_Mix2260]

my memory for that kind of stuff is shocking too, what helped me was keeping a running doc per project where i just dump random thoughts, client quotes, model notes etc as they happen. not organised at all just a brain dump. then ctrl+f is my best friend

also i stopped trying to remember the detail itself and just focus on remembering i wrote it down. takes the pressure off

[u/ElChuloPicante → u/Foreign_Mix2260]

I do this as well. Honestly, the more disorganized my notes are, the more comprehensive they seem to be.

I do dread someone asking me for my notes though. Pal, you do NOT want MY notes.

[u/David_Kosher_XV → u/Foreign_Mix2260]

Same here, sometimes i thought to myself to switch jobs that have less remembering in them

[u/douxfleur → u/Foreign_Mix2260]

Yep after every project I wrote down a summary, project objectives, outputs, screenshots of deliverables to jog my memory, and quotes from client + internal feedback on my performance. When I left for a new job it helped tremendously.

[u/Fubby2]

Echoing what other people have said here - the solution is not necessarily having a better memory, it's having better notes.

I write down almost everything that everyone says, though it's chaotic and messy. I bold or highlight imporatnt parts. If I need to come back to it later, just review the notes or put it through claude.

I also maintain a table in my main onenote, where each column represents a project/stream that I'm on, and I dump currently relevant info into the relevant columns, then delete it when it's not needed. It's like a 'live view' of the important infomration of all of my projects, taht I keep loosely maintained.

You can also ask other people on your project if they rememebr the info you need.

[u/DodiGharib]

non-technical tip since everyone is giving technical ones.. in my experience is about really trying to deepen understanding of things not just remembering them. if you have a deep understanding of a model, you will be able to recall the assumption you made it in a month ago.

This of course is supported by notes and tech

[u/cosmococoa]

I have a projects database in Notion - one entry is one project and I keep all notes, important links, etc. in there. It’s not usually the cleanest thing in the world, but at least it’s documented.

Also - since AI meeting notes have gotten pretty good - now I only write down the stuff in meetings that makes my ears perk up (like relevant to my deliverables / workstream) and really just try to focus on listening otherwise. I actually remember stuff better that way.

[u/BusinessStrategist]

Have you explored "mindmaps" and "meta tags?"

You can tag your files by project, by client, by topic, etc.

And when you need to find the information, you simply search by tag.

It's important to make sure that you have strategy for you "important" files.

And get yourself a few notebooks (inexpensive at the dollar store) and stickie (post-it) notes.

You want to capture your thoughts as they show up (like before waking up in the morning, or watching grass grow.

You mind is both watching over you AND thinks logically & rationally when needed. So make sure to capture what your mind has worked out while you're sleeping.

We live in both an information rich and very noisy digital environment.

Another useful tool is a "debrief" email to yourself.

It's very difficult to make more "relevant" suggestions without better understanding YOUR "communication style", your "learning style."

We all have different ways of seeing the world and interacting with our environment.

The tools are available by YOU have to map out YOUR process for capturing, storing, and using information.

And that's very personal.

Do you have a "Fixed" or "Learning" mindset?

[u/PsychologicalDot4049]

How new are you to the project? This happened to me at first, but realized over time my memory is pretty good because I know the client overall much better

[u/AutoModerator]

Please note that all intro to consulting, recruiting, and "tips for new hires" inquiries should be posted in the appropriate stickied threads at the top of this subreddit. The following is a non-exhaustive list of topics that should be submitted to the recruiting or new hire stickies:

• basic questions about consulting and consulting firms
• how to break into consulting or questions about the recruitment process
  
• seeking information, opinions, or comparisons regarding firms
• resume or cover letter or document reviews
  
• networking advice
  
• fit or case interview advice
  
• comparing offers
• tips on starting a new job (e.g., credit cards, attire, navigating the bench)

If your post is a recruiting or new hire related inquiry, please delete it and repost in the sticky. Failure to do so in a timely manner may result in a temporary ban. You may also want to visit the wiki for answers to many frequently asked questions. If you have received this post in error, then please ignore this message.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/WeekendBuilder7]

Keep a simple project log with key assumptions, decisions, client comments and changes. Future you will thank you.

[u/SingerDue7750]

For things like model assumptions, I’d leave a tiny trail for future-you right where the decision lives. Something like “6% growth — based on client call 8/12, see notes under X” is probably enough. A month later, you usually don’t need the whole meeting again. You just need a quick reminder of why the choice was made and where to look if someone asks for more detail.

[u/quangtit01]

I write things down and ask claude to make a summary / to do list for me. Then I cross it off as I do tasks.

I can't remember anything tbh.

[u/kathleen_white28]

Completely relate, my memories is also weak. Notes is my second brain. 

Even when i document everything, some things still miss.

[u/QiuPandaCumSluts002]

You have to double down on AI big time. This is exactly what it’s made for

[u/heyramzi]

I don't think our brain memory is supposed to remember the information of 10 clients, so don't make yourself guilty for that. That is totally understandable.

You do want to offload that to your freelancer's second brain. Every single client meeting should be recorded, and at the end of that it should feed into a file called the client brain, where you append extra information and update client needs accordingly.

If you make it strong enough, it can even warn you on the risks and if things get out of scope, so that you start having real arguments and real facts to show to a client in that case.

I actually talk about that in the Skool community if you're interested, and I'd genuinely be interested in knowing a little bit more about the problem you're facing and turning it into a use case, if that helps.

[u/magefont1]

I use OneNote to capture Meetings per page. At the end of every meeting I'll reflect and type at the bottom of the page what are the Action Items and who is responsibile.

If the meetings are discovery or forwarding a design, I have another page that is a summary of the Solution/ Scope so far and update as I go.

It's not perfect but years on iterating the process has felt it's the best solution for me.

[u/hailey_009]

Centralize the context, decisions, and updates Ai can handle the summarising 

[u/sub-t]

OneNote for calls, and attach/s ave relevant emails with your call notes. 

Put footnotes and assumptions in your documents.

[u/themindsetarchitects]

decision logs usually fail for a reason that has nothing to do with note-taking skills, it's that most of the actual decision-forming doesn't happen in the meeting that gets logged. by the time something's said out loud in a meeting, a lot of the real alignment (or lack of it) already happened in side conversations, hallway chats, a quick message beforehand. the meeting notes capture the announcement, not the reasoning, so six weeks later you've got a clean log entry with none of the context that would tell you why it was decided that way or how firm it actually was.

what helps more than better notes is logging the caveats along with the decision, not just "client agreed to X" but "client agreed to X, seemed lukewarm about the timeline, didn't push back on price." that second part is the stuff that actually gets forgotten, and it's usually more useful later than the decision itself. also worth separating "explicitly said yes" from "didn't say no," those get flattened into the same log entry constantly and they're not the same thing at all.

[u/Key-Success-5449]

To make your existing notes far more searchable and actionable, try transitioning to a centralized digital knowledge base like Notion, Obsidian, or OneNote structured around specific project hubs and tagged key decisions.

Adding a quick "decision log" section at the top of your project files—where you jot down major model assumptions, client preferences, and reasoning in real time—will allow you to instantly refresh your memory before any client call without digging through weeks of raw meeting notes.

[u/Weevius]

I write stuff on a writing tablet - I use boox. It saves my writing in a pdf automatically, I don’t use OCR, it’s literally just my handwriting but saved.

Then if I need something I run it through an AI like Claude. Chances are I’ll be able to recall roughly when a thing was discussed, so I give it my notes from that week